On top of the trauma inflicted by the actual theft, owners of cars that are found are still on the hook to bail their vehicles out of towing company lots — and the fees can be steep.

Lynda Drumm had her car stolen in August of 2018. The 1995 Honda Accord vanished from where it had been parked in front of her apartment in Hillsboro.

Drumm, thinking her Honda was gone for good, ended up buying another used car.

But she got a letter in December, explaining that her stolen car had been found and a tow company had hauled it to its lot.

Drumm went to the lot to retrieve her vehicle. But she was in for another shock.

"By the time we got there, it was like almost $700 and right now it's clear up to like a thousand-something dollars," Drumm told KOIN 6 News.

She said the tow company told her that she could release the car's title so the company could sell it. Whatever it sold for would be deducted from what she owed in fees.

The problem was, Drumm couldn't find the car's title. She said she went through the process of getting a new title issued, but was still waiting on paperwork.

Meanwhile, the tow lot fees kept stacking up.

Drumm said she doesn't have that kind of money to pay the full fee and, even if she did, she'd put it toward her grandson's education.

After several failed attempts to negotiate a lower bill, the tow company did eventually drop the bill from $1,150 to $670.

Her daughter, Cassandra Stutzman, said there doesn't seem to be any laws that protect people like her mom from these kinds of experiences with towing companies.

"There should be something where, if you're a victim of a theft, auto theft, you shouldn't be treated the exact same as somebody who's intentionally going out and breaking the law," Stutzman said.

Changes ahead?

According to Stutzman, a towing company only has to notify police that it's removing a car — regardless of whether it's stolen. This leaves no room for the owner to make any requests.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler wants to change that.

He recently proposed new rules that would allow car theft victims to avoid a tow fee by indicating on the police report whether the car should be left where it's found — after police notify them.

But that's only if police are involved. For Drumm, her stolen car was found on private property and the tow company was called in without the involvement of police.

Wheeler's proposal could still have a big effect on future experiences in the Portland metro area, but it wouldn't change things on a statewide level.

There is, however, a bill currently in the legislature that instructs the Oregon attorney general to study consumer protection and towing and issue a report by the end of the year.

For Michael Porter with the Oregon Tow Truck Association, the proposed towing policy in Portland could work across the state of Oregon but with a few tweaks, especially when it comes to the communication between various counties.

"Each county doesn't necessarily talk to each other," said Porter. "As a tower, we're kind of stuck in the middle of that and DMV doesn't have a record that your car has been stolen."

The public can weigh in on Wheeler's proposal until Feb. 14.

For now, it's worth noting that the only way to protect against big tow fees if a car is stolen is by having full-coverage insurance.

Also is the minimum in Oregon really $50k cargo and $750k accident coverage required?

I'm operating just one rollback and would like to get some basic info on here!

Thanks in advance

]]>3577Fri, 12 Oct 2018 20:04:17 +0000Two Portland officers awaiting Tow Truck injured in I-5 DUII crashhttps://www.towforce.net/topic/301-two-portland-officers-awaiting-tow-truck-injured-in-i-5-duii-crash/
PORTLAND, Ore. - A 53-year-old man was arrested on DUII, assault and other charges in a crash on Interstate 5 early Saturday that sent two Portland police officers to the hospital. Two other drivers also were arrested on DUII charges at the same location.

The crash occurred around 1 a.m. on the northbound freeway near the Interstate Bridge. Police responded to a report of a hazardous vehicle blocking the right lane and a possible drunk driver.

An officer and sergeant arrived and the driver, was taken into custody for DUII.

As officers awaited a tow truck, another driver crashed into one of the police cars, injuring the officer inside and the sergeant outside the vehicle.

That driver, Ken Thomas Neely, was booked into the Multnomah County Jail on DUII charges as well as third-degree assault, reckless driving and recklessly endangering another person.

The driver in the initial incident and a third driver, who nearly struck another officer, also were charged with DUII, police said

The sergeant injured in the crash was treated at a hospital and released, while the injured officer was expected to be released Saturday afternoon.